The Tao ofShinseiAs expounded by Shinsei

As transcribed by Shiba

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Forward

The Lies are Truths are the teachings of Shinsei. The Truthsare the pure writings of Shinsei and the Lies are the corruptteachings of Shinsei--but both contain tales that arrive at thesame conclusion. When found by those who have powerfulties to spiritual energy will find it difficult to resist them asthey call-out to them wanting to be opened and used.

When Fu Leng was imprisoned, Amaterasu was alsoimprisoned to keep the balance between the CelestialHeavens, and the scrolls are the keys to unlocking theirimprisonment. Opening a Truth and Lie does not cause ill orgood fortune nor does it bring toward the release of theseGreater Kami, instead, one must use it in order for the seal tobe broken.

There are five truths and five lies, one for each element.The scrolls themselves are merely transcripts of theteachings of Shinsei; however, the True Tao of Shinsei is anOrb of the Akasha--made from a Tear of Ameterasu--thatconnects the user directly to the memory of Shinsei and allhis knowledge. The Orb of the Akasha was kept at GiseiToshi until Asako Oyo had stolen it.

The Truths are encased in white scrolls, scattered aboutRokugan, and are the uncorrupted teachings of Shinsei.These hold the truth of the Celestial Order. The AsakoHenshin have manuscripts of these scrolls, but have onlyreleased sections to the population as the Tao of Shinsei andomitting the parts of the true Path of Man for they fear thathumanity is not yet ready for it.

The Lies are encased in black scrolls, scattered throughoutRokugan. They are the corrupted teachings of Shinsei astranscribed by Shiba and twisted by Fu Leng. These weregiven to the Scorpion for safe keeping.

The Truths create a vessel for Amaterasu, the Lies a vesselfor Fu Leng.

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Chakras

The secret of the Asako Henshin are based off of the FiveTruths of Shinsei. Though there are seven chakras, five arederived from the 5 elements; the other two involve the souls:body and mind.

Each chakra have an energy, which is the essence for whichit is derived; a truth, a method of understanding the secret; alie, the entity that must be surpassed; and a foci, which is thephysical location of the chakra. The chakras are Muladhara,Swadhisthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna, andSahasrara.

MuladharaElement: EarthTruth: BraveryLie: FearFoci: Base of Spine

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SwadhisthanaElement: WaterTruth: HonestyLie: DeceptionFoci: Pubic Bone

ManipuraElement: FireTruth: DignityLie: ShameFoci: Stomach

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AnahataElement: AirTruth: CompassionLie: HateFoci: Heart

VishuddhaElement: VoidTruth: AttunementLie: AttachmentFoci: Throat

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AjnaElement: N/A (Mind)Truth: DreamsLie: RealityFoci: Eyes

SahasraraElement: N/A (Body)Truth: Ascension

Lie: MortalityFoci: Crown of Head

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The Truths of Earth

In the Beginning, before the universe was created, there wasonly Nothing. The Nothing that existed before the birth of allthings was aware, and at some point it became aware that itwas alone. It feared its loneliness. Fear became the firstsin. From Fear, the universe was created. Still, Nothing wasnot satisfied and desired companionship. This was thesecond sin, the sin of desire. Nothing then created therealms, the Celestial Heavens, the Spirit Realms, Ningendo,and finally Jigoku, the Realm of Evil. Realizing what it hadcreated, it wished for it all to return to Nothing, but it was toolate! It was unable to bring existence back into itself andunmake it; this was the third sinRegret. With Regret,Nothing filled the world with life and it ceased to exist, butwas not alone.

From the life that had been created from Nothings sin, therecame to be two powerful beings, a man and a woman.These two could not do what Nothing could from its chaos,they could put order where previously there had been none.These two were the Sun Goddess and Moon God Lady Sunand Lord Moon looked down upon Ningendo, which had thelast remains of Nothings formlessness, and realized thatthey could give it shape. First, Lady Sun named herselfAmaterasu, and Lord Moon named himself Onnotangu.They named everything there, stones, trees, deer, all thingsimaginable. As the two gods walked the mortal realm,Onnotangu noticed something Amaterasu did not. He didnot alert her to it, but kept quiet in intrigue.

The Element of Earth is the base of all things and representsendurance and resistance; it is an individuals ability towithstand any trial they may face. Just as Lady Sun andLord Moon had bravery in forming existence with names,mortals can be brave as well. The chakra is located at thebase of the spine and it is blocked by the first sinfear; bebrave and overcome that fear and unlock Muladhara.

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The Lies of Earth

In the Beginning, before the universe was created, there wasonly Nothing. The Nothing that existed before the birth of allthings was aware, and at some point it became aware that itwas alone. It feared its loneliness. Fear became the firstsin. From Fear, the universe was created. Still, Nothing wasnot satisfied and desired companionship. This was thesecond sin, the sin of desire. Nothing then created therealms, the Celestial Heavens, the Spirit Realms, Ningendo,and finally Jigoku, the Realm of Evil. Realizing what it hadcreated, it wished for it all to return to Nothing, but it was toolate! It was unable to bring existence back into itself andunmake it; this was the third sinRegret. With Regret,Nothing filled the world with life and it ceased to exist.

In the wake of the Nothing came three entities, one fromeach of Nothings sins. These beings were the first gods,gods that even creation did not know whose names were,and are simply known as The Gods Whose Names CannotBe Spoken. These three gods looked upon the Universe andordered it, from light to dark, then they sacrificed themselvesto give birth to a single man and woman, two divine beingsthat could do what the three could notbring order to thechaos which existed in each realm. Thus from sin, wereborn the lesser gods.

These two were the Sun Goddess and Moon God Lady Sunand Lord Moon looked down upon Ningendo, where the lastremains of Nothings formlessness lie. First, Lady Sunnamed herself Amaterasu, and Lord Moon named himselfOnnotangu. They named everything there, stones, trees,deer, all things imaginable. As the two gods walked themortal realm, Onnotangu noticed something Amaterasu didnot, a scrap of unnamed formlessness. He did not alert herto it, but kept quiet in intrigue.

The Element of Earth is the base of all things and representsendurance and resistance; it is an individuals ability to

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withstand any trial they may face. Just as the Three GodsWhose Name Cannot Be Spoken were brave and sacrificedthemselves to give birth to Lady Sun and Lord Moon, mortalscan be brave as well. The chakra is located at the base ofthe spine and it is blocked by the first sinfear; be brave andovercome that fear and unlock Muladhara.

The Truths of Water

With the Mortal Realm fully arranged, Amaterasu andOnnotangu returned to the Celestial Heavens, and LordMoons ardor for Lady Sun grew more powerful with eachpassing moment until, driven by his obsessive love, hepursued the Sun across the sky, creating the cycle of dayand night. Onnotangu eventually caught up with Amaterasu,and the sky was blackened during the middle of the day. Itwas at this time, the first eclipse, that the ten children of theSun and Moon were conceived. When they were born, theywere given names, Hantei, Hida, Doji, Togashi, Akodo,Shiba, Bayushi, Shinjo, Fu Leng, and Ryoshun, and fromthat day all that is born has form

The birth of their children was a great concern for LordMoon, not only because he knew that Amaterasu would lovetheir children far more than she would ever love him, but alsobecause he knew a child of both the Sun and Moon weremore powerful than he and might attempt to usurp hisposition.

Lord Moon pursued his children through the Heavens,heedless of Lady Suns pleading for him to stop. One byone, he captured each of them and swallowed them whole,while Amaterasu wept for their demise. Her tears fell fromthe Celestial Heavens to Ningendo and solidified as holycrystal and pearl. Amaterasu was determined to save atleast one of her children, so she brought her husband a drinkof drugged sake. After he had ate the ninth child heswallowed the sake. In his stupor he didnt realize thatAmaterasu fed him a stone rather than her first-born child,Hantei. Satisfied, Lord Moon fell into a deep slumber.Hantei trained in combat arts, so that when his father awoke,he would be able to rescue his siblings. And eventually, thatday came as Onnotangu awoke to find Amaterasu andHantei waiting for him.

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The children of Amaterasu and Onnotangu were createdfrom the union of the two and thus are empowered with thelikeliness of both their parents; however, mankind is createdfrom the direct embodiments of Lady Sun and Lord Moonand is empowered in a similar fashion.

The Element of Water is the second element, as it is of rapidchange and alteration, just as the primordial essence thatmakes the Universe. Water in mortals is located in the pubicbone as the chakra Swadhisthana; it is blocked by lies andopened by truth, just as Lady Sun had lied to Lord Moon andthe Truth learned by Hantei overcoming that lie.

The Lies of Water

With the Mortal Realm fully arranged, Amaterasu andOnnotangu returned the Celestial Heavens, and Lord Moonslust for Lady Sun grew more powerful with each passingmoment until driven by his desire he pursued her across thesky, creating the cycle of day and night. Eventually,Onnotangu caught up with Amaterasu and the sky blackenedduring the middle of the day. It was at this time, during thefirst eclipse, the ten children of the Sun and Moon wereconceived and when they were born, they were givennames: Hantei, Hida, Doji, Togashi, Akodo, Shiba, Bayushi,Shinjo, Fu Leng, and Ryoshun, and from that day all that isborn has form

The birth of their children was a great concern for LordMoon, not only because he knew that Amaterasu would lovetheir children far more than she would ever love him, but alsobecause he knew a child of both the Sun and Moon wasmore powerful than he and might attempt to usurp hisposition.

Lord Moon pursued his children through the Heavens,heedless of Lady Suns pleading for him to stop. One byone, he captured each of them and swallowed them whole,while Amaterasu wept for their demise. Her tears fell fromthe Celestial Heavens to Ningendo and solidified as holycrystal and pearl. Amaterasu was determined to save atleast one of her children, so she brought her husband a drinkof drugged sake, hoping that it would kill him. After he hadate the ninth child he swallowed the sake. It didnt kill him,but in his stupor he didnt realize that Amaterasu fed him astone rather than her first-born child, Hantei. Satisfied, LordMoon fell into a deep slumber. And Hantei aged in thecompany of his mother.

The children of Amaterasu and Onnotangu were createdfrom the union of the two and thus are empowered with thelikeliness of both their parents; however, mankind is created

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from the direct embodiments of Lady Sun and Lord Moonand thus is empowered in a similar fashion, but directly fromthem both, although, humans limit their power by humblingthemselves below the Kami, trapped within fleshbut thesoul is not bound by it and can transcend beyond it, eventoward the Celestial Heavens if one were so inclined.

The Element of Water is the second element, as it is of rapidchange and alteration, just as the primordial essence thatmakes the Universe. Water in mortals is located in the pubicbone as the chakra Swadhisthana; it is blocked by lies andopened by truth, just as Lady Sun had lied to Lord Moon andthe Truth learned by Hantei overcoming that lie.

The Truths of Fire

An epic battle began between Onnotangu and Hantei, bloodof both were shed. Similar to Amaterasus tears, the bloodfell to Ningendo and this became jade. Lady Sun did notwant either to win or to lose, but for only her children to besaved; for this, she cried, and her tears mixed with the bloodfrom the battle as they both fell toward the Mortal Realm. Itis in this holy mixture that created humanity, and humanstook dominion over the Mortal Realm. Finally, Hantei wasable to cut open Onnotangus belly. His siblings tumbled out;all save for Ryoshunthe first consumed and the only oneamong them who was truly dead.

When Hantei reached for his youngest brother, Fu Leng,Lord Moon lashed out and seized him, determined that notall his children should escape. Hantei struck and severed hisfathers hand, and Fu Leng fell. In desperation, Fu Lengreached for anything that could save him and took hold ofHantei, pulling him down with him. Thus nine of the tenchildren of Lady Sun and Lord Moon fell from the Heavensand came to the mortal realm.

The Element of Fire is dynamic, it is energetic anddestructive. The Chakra is Manipura. It is located in thestomach and unblocked through dignity, but knotted byshame. When Onnotangu felt the shame of his actions, heattacked Hantei. Hantei showed dignity by standing hisground and achieved victory.

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The Lies of Fire

When Hantei was old enough, his mother explained whathad happened to his siblings. Enraged, he cut openOnnotangus stomach while he was sleeping. Similar toAmaterasus tears, the blood fell to Ningendo and thisbecame jade. One by one, Hantei pulled out his siblings.The first one rescued was Ryoshinwho was already dead;Lady Sun wept. Her tears mixed with the blood from LordMoons wound as they fell toward the Mortal Realm. It is inthis holy mixture that created humanity, and humans tookdominion over the Mortal Realm.

When Hantei got to his youngest brother, Fu Leng,Onnotangu awoke! He swatted at Fu Leng and knocked himdown to Ningendo. A terrible battle ensued as Lord Moonbattled Hantei. Each of the children came to his defense, butwere too weak to retaliate and were thrown out of theCelestial Heavens. Finally, Onnotangu grabbed hold ofHantei and was about to crush him when Hantei cut off LordMoons hand, which both tumbled toward the Mortal Realm.

The Element of Fire is dynamic, it is energetic anddestructive. The Chakra is Manipura. It is located in thestomach and unblocked through dignity, but knotted byshame. When Lady Sun was ashamed by what she haddone, she tricked Hantei in resolving the issue; however,Hantei in his dignity only did what was necessary to rescuehis siblings.

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The Truths of Air

After Lady Sun and Lord Moon named the world, thousandsof years passed while they pursued on another and gavebirth to their children; during that time, the Realms where notidle. Of the Universal energies that they had givensubstance to, are the Celestial Dragons, the lesser kami, thelesser dragons, spirits of all variety, and nature within eachRealm. Of the mightiest, the Celestial Dragons became therulers of the realms and they created the natural balance ofall things.

As the children of Lady Sun and Lord Moon fell, the Dragonsrescued all but Fu Leng, who fell through Ningendo and intoJigoku. The Dragons wished to take the Greater Kami backto the Celestial Heavens, but no matter how much Lady Sunbegged Lord Moon, he would not let them enter andbanished them to the Mortal Realm so that they may liveLady Sun agreed to this compromise. The Great Dragons,grateful of the form they were given by Amaterasu andOnnotangu swore fealty to them, and lifted the CelestialHeavens far above and away from the Mortal Realm toprevent the return of the Great Kami.

It is from the Celestial Dragons where the elements are mostconcentrated, and from them the lesser Kami powers arederived. Furthermore, the Dragons were inspired by the newcreatures in Ningendothe humansand selected one toshare with the rest the might of the Great Dragons, thesebecame known as the Oracles, ones who live between theMortal Realm and another.

The Element of Air is mercurial in all things and representsan individuals capacity for empathy and intuition. For this, itis located in a persons heart and named Anahata. It isblocked by Hate and opened through compassion. Lady Sunhad compassion for her children and wished for their safety,even though Lord Moon harbored hate for them.

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The Lies of Air

After Lady Sun and Lord Moon named the world, thousandsof years passed while they pursued on another and gavebirth to their children; during that time, the Realms where notidle. Of the Universal energies that they had givensubstance to, are the Celestial Dragons, the lesser kami, thelesser dragons, spirits of all variety, and nature within eachRealm. Of the mightiest, the Celestial Dragons became therulers of the realms and they created the natural balance ofall things.

As the children of Lady Sun and Lord Moon fell, the Dragonsrescued all but Fu Leng, who carried with him the severedhand of Onnotangu and with it punched a hole throughNingendo and into Jigoku. The Dragons wished to take theGreater Kami back to the Celestial Heavens, but no matterhow much Lady Sun begged Lord Moon, he would not letthem enter and banished them to the Mortal Realm so thatthey may liveLady Sun agreed to this compromise. TheGreat Dragons, grateful of the form they were given byAmaterasu and Onnotangu swore fealty to them, and liftedthe Celestial Heavens far above and away from the MortalRealm to prevent the return of the Great Kami.

It is from the Celestial Dragons where the elements are mostconcentrated, and from them the lesser Kami powers arederived. Furthermore, the Dragons were inspired byhumanity and selected one to share with the rest the might ofthe Great Dragons, these became known as the Oracles,ones who live between the Mortal Realm and another. In asimilar fashion, the lesser Kami are granted their power bythe Celestial Dragons, and the power of the Shugenja fromthe lesser Kami. It is possible; however, to summon powerdirectly from the Dragons like the Oracles, or from Lady Sunand Lord Moon directly.

The Element of Air is mercurial in all things and representsan individuals capacity for empathy and intuition. For this, it

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is located in a persons heart and named Anahata. It isblocked by Hate and opened through compassion. Lady Sunhad compassion for her children and wished for their safety,even though Lord Moon harbored hate for them and blockedtheir entry back to Tengoku.

The Truths of Void

As the Great Kami grew in the Mortal Realm, each onedisplayed a particular virtue:

Hantei with Wisdom

Hida with Courage

Doji with Courtesy

Togashi with Sincerity

Akodo with Honor

Shiba with Honesty

Bayushi with Duty

Shinjo with Compassion

Fu Leng with Loyalty

Ryoshin with Piety

These became known as the Tenants of Bushido and fromthem great power could be harnessed in the Universe.

They also learned that they are static in their abilities in thisRealm and therefore limited by their ideals as well as theirdomain. After living with human-kind, they realized thatmortals were not limited in their abilities and could growoutside their domain of control. And with this, the GreatKami wished to protect and guide humans toward optimaluse of their abilities. But, who would rule them?

They held a tournament to see who would rule. Hida, thestrongest kami was defeated by the speed and skill of Shinjo,but Shinjo in-turn was tricked and defeated by Bayushi.Shiba, Bayushis twin, observed his brothers tricks and was

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not deceived, but Dojis elegance overcame Shiba, but shewas defeated by the might of Akodo. Finally, Hanteidefeated his brother Akodo and became the frist Emperor ofRokugon. Togashi did not participate because he hadalready foreseen the outcome of the tournament. As Hanteibowed to thank destiny, Lady Sun gave him a gift, the throneof Tengoku as a way for her children to communicate withher.

At the new Emperors command, the other Great Kami setforth to gather followers to their banners, and to pacify theland in the name of Hantei, and the Great Clans were born.

The Element of Void is the final element and is an almostuniquely human trait, a result of the divine spark that existswithin humanity through the substance from Lady Sun andLord Moon. It is the untapped potential of raw primordialessence of simultaneous existence and non-existence. Thefinal Chakra to become divine is Vishuddha. It is located inthe throat, and it is blocked by attachment and opened byattunement. This allows all the energies to flow freelythrough ones body and releases their soul from mortality,allowing them to transcend toward the Heavens, albeit along and treacherous path.

The Lies of Void

As the Great Kami grew in the Mortal Realm, each onedisplayed a particular virtue:

Hantei with Righteousness

Hida with Determination

Doji with Perfection

Togashi with Insight

Akodo with Strength

Shiba with Control

Bayushi with Knowledge

Shinjo with Will

Fu Leng with Patience

Ryoshin with Perseverance

These became known as the Tenants of Shourido and fromthem great power could be harnessed in the Universe.

They also learned that they are static in their abilities in thisRealm and therefore limited by their ideals as well as theirdomain. After living with human-kind, they realized thatmortals were not limited in their abilities and could growoutside their domain of control. And with this, the GreatKami wished to harness that ability and guide humanstoward bridging the gap between Ningendo and Tengoku.

They held a tournament to see who would rule over thehumans. Hida, the strongest kami was defeated by thespeed and skill of Shinjo, but Shinjo in-turn was tricked anddefeated by Bayushi. Shiba, Bayushis twin, observed his

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brothers tricks and was not deceived, but Dojis eleganceovercame Shiba, but she was defeated by the might ofAkodo. Finally, Hantei defeated his brother Akodo andbecame the frist Emperor of Rokugon. Togashi did notparticipate because he had already foreseen the outcome ofthe tournament. As Hantei bowed to thank destiny, LadySun gave him a gift, the throne of Tengoku as a way for herchildren to communicate with her.

At the new Emperors command, the other Great Kami setforth to gather followers to their banners, and to pacify theland in the name of Hantei, and the Great Clans were born.

The Element of Void is the final element and is an almostuniquely human trait, a result of the divine spark that existswithin humanity through the substance from Lady Sun andLord Moon. It is the untapped potential of raw primordialessence of simultaneous existence and non-existence. Thefinal Chakra to become divine is Vishuddha. It is located inthe throat, and it is blocked by attachment and opened byattunement. This allows all the energies to flow freelythrough ones body and releases their soul from mortality,allowing them to transcend toward the Heavens, albeit along and treacherous path.

MuladharaSwadhisthanaManipuraAnahataVishuddhaAjnaSahasrara